Cubs, Cards play double-dip at Busch

Sep 15, 2007, 14:49 GMT

- The St. Louis Cardinals will get two chances to halt their lengthy losing streak today, as they are set to play a day/night doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs in the continuation of a four-game set at Busch Stadium.

The Cubs handed the Cardinals a 5-3 defeat in Friday's series opener to run St. Louis' skid to eight games. Chicago, meanwhile, used the win to increase its National League Central lead to 1 1/2 games over Milwaukee, which lost to Cincinnati yesterday.

Carlos Zambrano (16-12) tossed eight strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits. He also struck out three and walked two. Ryan Dempster got into trouble in the ninth and had to give way to Bob Howry, who got the final out to record his eighth save of the season.

Cliff Floyd put the Cubs up for good with a homer in the seventh, while Daryle Ward provided some breathing room with a three-run double in the ninth inning. Mark DeRosa also drove in a run for the Cubs, who have won three straight.

Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Ryan Ludwick all homered for the Cardinals, who fell six games back of the Cubs in the Central standings. Adam Wainwright (13-11) suffered the tough-luck loss, allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals reinstated Scott Spiezio to the roster prior to the game. Spiezio left the club five weeks ago due to a substance abuse problem he sought treatment for and ended 0-for-2 in the game.

Today's extra game is a make-up contest from an April 29 meeting that was postponed following the tragic death of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock, who died after crashing his vehicle into the back of a toe truck.

Braden Looper will start the day game for St. Louis after having his two-start winning streak halted last time out. Looper threw back-to-back seven shutout inning performances in wins over the Astros and Reds before getting tagged for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits over 3 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

For the season Looper, in his first year as a full-time starter, is 12-10 with a 4.70 earned run average.

The right-hander last faced the Cubs on August 17 and took the loss despite six innings of two-run ball. In his career, Looper is 3-3 with four saves and a 2.50 ERA in 35 games against the Cubs, three of those starts.

Taking the hill in game one for the Cubs will be Ted Lilly, who matched his career high for wins in a season when he won his second straight start on Monday in a make-up game against the Cardinals. Lilly improved to 15-7 with a 3.85 ERA after holding St. Louis to three runs and five hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts in a 12-3 rout.

Lilly won 15 games with Toronto last season, and will try to eclipse that high today.

The left-hander, who has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, improved to 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals on Monday.

Sean Marshall will start for the first time since August 31 when he toes the rubber in the nightcap for Chicago. Marshall took the loss at the end of last month versus the Astros, allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings to fall to 7-7 on the year.

He then made the first relief appearance of his career on Sunday in Pittsburgh, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 3.92.

The left-handed Marshall earned his first career victory in three starts (1-0) against the Cardinals on August 18, holding the club to two runs on five hits over five innings. He has a career ERA of 4.60 against St. Louis.

The Cardinals counter with Joel Pineiro in the second game. Pineiro was last in action against Chicago on Monday, taking the loss after allowing six runs and eight hits over just 3 1/3 innings. The setback dropped the right-hander to 5-4 with a 4.79 ERA in eight starts with the Cardinals, and 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA in three career starts versus Chicago.

The Cubs have won nine of 13 against the Cardinals this year, and are 30-18 against the club since the start of the 2005 season.

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